Railroad spike



Oct. 5 1926.

- G. GOTHIER RAILROAD SPIKE Filed August 24, 1925 I I #v WIMHI. I. J I

Patented Oct. 5, 1926.

GEORGE GOTHIER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

RAILROAD SPIKE.

Application filed August 24, 1925. SeriaL No. 52,073.

This invention relates to. improvements in railroadspikes and the like.

I-Ieretofore considerable difliculty has been experienced in keeping spikes :driven into.

.the train has passed on, the rails spring back into their normal position, so that during the course of time after a large number of trains have passed over the rails, the spikes gradually creep up out of theties, so that it is necessary from time to time to havethe spikes driven back into theties.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved form ofrailroad spike, which after. itghas been once driven into the tie through the anchor or bed plate will always maintain the same position with respect to the anchorplateyand in this manner the spike will not loosen or creep upwardly. Another object of this invention is to provide a spike which has its head and part of the shank slotted, and which may be driven intothe tie through an anchor plate. A wedge is also provided which is driven into the slot after the spike has been driven into place and this wedge serves to spread the upper end of the spike so as to firmly maintain it on the anchor plate. I A further object of this invention is to provide a spike having a head which proects materially from one side of the spike, the opposite side of the spike bemg gradually tapered toward the axis ofthe shank of the spike for a purpose hereinafter to be described. r

' With the foregoing and other objects in view which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifi cally pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention whereinz.

Figure 1 .is a section'alview through a tie and through a rail and anchor plate thereon, one spike of the improved form of construction being shown in elevation andthe other spike being shown in vertical sectlon, 1

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the end of the tie, illustrating the spike of the .improved construction in appliedposition,

Fig.3 is a side elevation of the improved railroad spike,

Fig. 4. is a side elevation taken at right angles'to the view shown in-'Fig.- 3, v

, Fig. Sis a side elevationof the wedge, and Fig... 6 is an end elevationof the wedge. Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar. reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the improved railroad spike consists of a shank 10, on which-is formed theconventional .head 11, Whiclrprojects materially from one side of the shank as indicated at 12. 'The side'13 of the-shank from whichthe head projects materially is preferably parallel to thea'xis of the shank,xwhile theside 14 which is opposite the side 13 is tapered downwardly towardthe-axis of the shank. The two sides 13 and 1 k converge adjacent thebottom of the shank, forming an edge 15. A slot 16 is formed in the head -11' and extends downwardly into the top of the .shank of thespike. Above-the bottom of the slot 16, two shoulders 17 and :18; are formed whichare arranged upon those sides of the spike which are not slotted.

A wedge 19 is alsoprovided, which has a head similar in from to the shape of the head 11 on the spike. The lower endof the Wedge 19.is slotted, as indicated at 20,--so as; to bifurcate the wedge. On the two end edges of thewed'geshoulders 21 and22 are formed, which are'so positioned that when the-wedge is driven into the slot 16, the shoulders 21 and-22 will be approximate- 1y horizontally even with the shoulders 17 and 18 on the shank,of-the-spike.

. In Fig. 1 the tie is indicated a .T, on

which the rail R is positioned,- there being an anchor-plate A located between the bot,- tom of the rail and the tie. These anchor plates haveapertures-therein for the reception of the railroad spikes, -this being con,- ventional construction. The spikes :are first driven into the apertures in the anchor plate A, and when the shoulders 17 and 18 encounter the anchor plate, they force the upperends of the shank-and the separated parts of "the head 11 together,-while the shoulders pass through the apertures. The shoulders are so arranged that ,when the under side of the projection 12 of the head llengage's the top of the base fiangepfthe rail R, the shoulders will be even with the underside oftheanchonplate A. In this manner as the spike is driven home, the projection 12 engages the top of the base flange of the rail, and the upper portions of the shank of the spike separate because of the resiliency of the metal of which they are made. In this manner the shoulders occupy positions beneath the bottom of the anchor plate A, as shown in Fig. 1. In some cases the spike alone may be used, but preferably the wedge shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is employed in addition thereto. WVhen the wedge is driven into the slot 16, the lower portions of the wedge which are separated by the slot 20 move toward each other as the shoulders 21 and 22 ride or slip over the edges of the anchor plate about the apertures therethrough. When the wedge 19 has been driven home in the slot 16, the shoulders 21 and 22 will be so positioned that the lower portions of the wedge will spread, and these shoulders will also occupy positions bearing against the under side of the anchor plate A.

In this manner when the improved railroad spike is applied, there will be a firm, rigid connection between the anchor plate and the body of the spike. Consequently, as the trains pass over the rails, pressing the anchor plate down into the tie, the spikes move downwardly with the anchor plate into the tie. Consequently, as the various trains pass over the rails, the spikes are being continually driven downwardly into the tie and will always keep tight. Furthermore, it is impossible for the spikes to creep upwardly through the anchor plate. Because of the fact that the spike is always being driven into the tie, a smaller spike can be used than the ordinary spike heretofore employed. This has the advantage over the ordinary spike in that some difficulty has been experienced because of the fact that the spikes heretofore employed frequently split the ties on being driven into them.

It will be noted that the projection 12 on the head 11 is always extending toward the rail B so asto firmly fasten the rail R against the anchor plate A and to the tie T.

By making the side 14 tapered with respect to the axis of the shank 10, as the spike is being driven home, it will gradually move toward the rail. Consequently, when the spike has been driven home, it will bear against the edges of the base flanges of the rail, and will be quite tight.

Another advantage of the improved railroad spike develops from the edges afforded by the slot 16 and the edges upon the wedge. These edges are on those surfaces which bear against the top surface of the base flanges of the rail; and because of the fact that the edges are fairly sharp, they will tend to dig into the base flanges, thus preventing or resisting longitudinal shifting of the rail.

In some places, such as on curves or at switches or crossings, where it is contemplated that the rails may be subsequently removed or replaced, the wedge is not inserted into the head of the spike, but is left out. The spike is merely driven into the tie and if the conventional spike'puller or crowbar is applied to the spike, it will cause the portions of the head to move toward each other in pulling the spike so that the shoulders .17 and 18 will be drawn together a sufiicient distance to permit the spike being pulled through the anchor plate.

From the above it will be appreciated that an improved railroad spike is provided which will always be kept tight, thus reducing large costs to railroads in keeping track walkers busy walking along the track and tightening the spikes which ordinarily loosen from time to time.

It will be understood that various changes may be made in the detail of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A railroad spike having its head and the upper end of its shank slotted, a shoulder formed on the side of the shank above the bottom of the slot, and a wedge adapted to be driven into the slot so as to separate the head and the upper end of the shank, said wedge having a shoulder formed there on adapted to be positioned horizontally even with the shoulder on the shank when the wedge is driven into the slot so as to project from an unshouldered side of the shank.

2. A railroad spike having its head and the upper end of its shank slotted, a shoulder formed on the side of the shank above the bottom of the slot, and a wedge adapted to be driven into the slot so as to separate the head and the upper end of the shank, said wedge being bifurcated and having a shoulder formed on an end edge adapted to be positioned horizontally even with the shoulder on the shank when the wedge is driven into the slot.

3. A railroad spike comprising a shank having a head formed on its upper end which projects materially from one side of the shank, there being slot formed in the head longitudinally thereof, which slot extends downwardly into the shank, there being shoulders formed on the unslotted sides of the shank as and for the purpose described, and a wedge adapted to be driven into said slot, said wedge being bifurcated and having shoulders formed upon its end faces which are adapted to be positioned horizontally even with the shoulders on the spank when the wedge is driven into said s 0t.

4. A railroad spike comprising a shank having a head formed upon its upper end 1,602,303 a v v 3 which projects materially from one side of between the divided projecting portion of the shank, there being a slot formed in the the head on the shank, said wedge being bihead longitudinally thereof which extends furcated from its bottom upwardly and havdownwardly into the shank, there being ing shoulders formed on its edges.

5 shoulders formed on said shank, and a In testimony whereof I have signed my Wedge adapted to be driven into said slot name to this specification. having a head projecting materially from Y one edge thereof adapted to be positioned GEORGE GOTHIER. 

